It really makes me understand why we don’t see any advanced space faring civilizations as we look to the stars. Life just isn’t good at cooperation.

First a large enough group has to agree that something is a problem. Then they have to agree there is a solution. Let’s look at the problem of labor abuse in China. First, does everyone agree that it’s a problem? There are a significant number of people that think it’s fine or even a good thing. Some people think that everyone should be willing to sacrifice or be sacrificed for the greater good of the economy.

Okay so we manage to convince the shitheads that humans, even humans in China stuck assembling iPhones, have rights. What’s the solution? Not buy iPhones? Pay more? All out war against an oppressive regime? Countless other solutions exist, and until there’s agreement there, unlikely any of them will take hold.

The apathy is engineered, and can be easily furthered by injecting more disagreement on possible solutions by the people that were never really convinced slavery is bad.

The French - Would you like me to burn your fucking car?

Apathy is a coping mechanism

Either too much or too little depending on who we’re talking about. You have the people who will amass a protest in the thousands because one person was mistreated and sometimes only a single person who will react at all when a thousand are mistreated. And people wonder why sociopathy exists.

Yes, in every and all aspects.
Wars? Ukraine or Gaza.
Production? Chinas slavery
Sickness? 4 years ago.
Gaming? Triple a studios

Its everywhere to the point in hitting apathy against apathy myself

most people are caught up in their own day to day lives. it’s just the nature of things.

you have to go to work to pay your bills. your girlfriend wants to go out to dinner every once in a while. you have to go have dinner at your parents. you have to walk your dog. you have to brush your teeth, do your laundry. you have to figure out what you’re gonna eat for dinner. should probably schedule that dentist appointment soon. need to do my taxes.

etc

really doesn’t leave you that much time or energy to worry about the big problems of the world.

pfft. what do I care. /s honestly I think its more the stress of survival because at least in the us even if you are doing pretty well its setup so a few bumps can have you completely fall into poverty. You pretty much have to be independently wealthy for it not to and even then medical things could take you out if your on the low end.

Gaza is all I need to know about humanity…

Never again until Israelis do a genocide then it is america, fuck yeah! Kill 'em all!

I mean when I try to educate folks

Maybe that’s one of the reasons they don’t listen? I’m really sorry if what follows sounds a bit agressive, it’s absolutely not what I wish, I just don’t know how to say it more formally in English.

Sure, many people are very much not interested by anything that goes out of their usual ways but I would not be so certain it’s the main issue at play, here.

I mean, why do you try to educate them? Are you their parents, or their teacher? Are you some kind of (moral/scientific) authority they (and we all) should listen to?

Personally, as one of those ‘people’ you’re referring to, I tend to steer away from any person thinking they should educate others. Not that I refuse to educate myself and certainly not that I know all there is to know, far from it. It’s just that in my experience, way too often, all what those self-proclaimed teachers teach is how great/admirable their little person is and, incidentally, more often than not why we should then rush to buy their latest book, or their whatever it is they’re selling. Imho, there is little value in that kind of teaching and most people would be right to ignore it. I would even say that I wish more people would stop listening to those snake-oil vendors.

Once again, I’m not saying, you’re such a person — how would I know, I don’t know you — just that it’s too frequent to not express some serious reserves when faced with it.

As tor the reason why people refuse to listen? Beside what I just said, I think most people already have enough things to deal with in their day to day lives, a lot of real shitty things, to not be willing to spend their free time listening to some ‘teaching’.

Instead, you may want to show by example, by doing things and not by speech? Let them be surprised or intrigued by your very own actions and then, maybe, let them start a conversation by asking you question. They should be much more receptive if they do the first step, and you may get more positive results. Hopefully.

Oh, certainly. Don’t forget the equal parts of hatred!

It’s a cross between our innate limitations, a societal system which works against us but continues from sheer momentum, and then by design by those who benefit. I don’t think most people woke up and decided to live apathetic lives. We are chronically cognitively tasked

I think that this problem is similar to the monkeysphere: there are too many issues and problems for us to worry about, so we typically pick the problems that are closest to us and most solvable.

This is basically the same idea that someone else mentioned in this thread.

It’s a disgrace! Somebody should do something!

You’re not wrong. But do consider that those other people may know what works for them better than you think you do.